>Boston Chapter Alums Celebrates 2010 MLK Day of Service at Northeastern University

>600 lives saved. Not a bad goal for a service project. Even better for one dreamed up by the collaborative efforts of an active AmeriCorps member and three Northeastern University students as part of a service and leadership activity created by Boston area AmeriCorps alums.

AmeriCorps Alums Boston celebrated Martin Luther King Day by serving as educators at Northeastern University’s MLK Day of Service. Through several emails and brainstorming sessions, alums were able to create an activity centered around the themes of service and leadership. After a brief introduction to AmeriCorps and each alum’s service experiences, an icebreaker started the session off: piecing together a puzzle of different MLK quotes. Participants were asked to list nine ideas for service projects they would like to see performed in their community. Each individual then looked for service themes within their list i.e. environmental, community building, health and safety. Small groups, formed during the icebreaker, looked for common themes from which a service project could be developed. In addition to a blood drive (as mentioned earlier), service projects ranged from community building block parties to connecting middle-school students with musicians.